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Wednesday, 14 December 2016

Film Review - 'Dororo'

This live-action
adaptation of a 1960's Japanese manga series may present a world that
has the look and feel of feudal Japan - but, oddly enough, it is
actually something very different. A single line reference (which might
be easily missed, if you're not paying attention) makes it clear that
this is actually the distant future. So, despite appearances, what we
are actually watching is a story set in a world where modern
civilisation has, apparently, collapsed entirely - one that is slowly
being rebuilt, as people recover from an unknown cataclysm.

This far future setting is actually barely relevant to the story
being told, though. In fact, the setting of the original manga actually was
feudal Japan - meaning that the current setting was a change made just
for the film. Why, though? Well, perhaps to make the more outlandish
elements of the film a little easier to accept? Or, to break the story
away from the actual history of Japan? Honestly, it feels like an odd
change to make - given how little relevance it seems to have. Of course,
it's also really little more than an interesting bit of trivia, in the
end - one that wont actually impact your ability to enjoy the film, in
any meaningful way. So, it probably isn't worth getting hung up on this
point (despite the fact that I obviously have).

Anyway, on to the film, itself. A wounded lord, Kagamitsu Daigo,
stumbles into a temple after surviving a battles in which most of his
own forces were slaughtered. In this temple, he finds 48 statues said to
hold the souls of 48 trapped demons. We aren't given any back story on
how and why these demons came to be trapped in this temple, of course -
just as we aren't given any real context for the future setting. Both
are just elements of the plot that we need to accept.

Ignoring the dire warnings of an elderly priest, Daigo makes a deal
with this trapped creatures - demanding the power to destroy his
enemies, and to unite the world under his own rule. The demons are
willing to make this deal, of course - but, they want much more than
just their own freedom as payment. In exchange, the creatures also
demand the body of Daigo's unborn son - with each demon demanding the
right to claim a piece of the child as their own. Daigo accepts this
offer - and, when the child is born, his parents are horrified to
discover that he is missing all of his limbs and organs. Somehow,
though, the child is also still very much alive. How? Well, magic, I
suppose. Either some magic of the demon's - or, some benevolent force
working on the child's behalf. It's never really explained.

Daigo refuses to raise a deformed son, though - so, the boy is
quickly abandoned. He is eventually found by a kindly man who just so
happens to be a sorcerer, though - and, using what appears to be a
combination of magic and technology, this man is able to make artificial
limbs and organs to replace those that there stolen. He then raises the
child as his own.

Oh, also, the boy develops psychic abilities, at some point, too -
which allow him to be 'see' and 'hear', and to communicate with people
around him. How? Well, magic, I suppose.

Honestly, this is going to be the main sticking point, for many viewers. Dororo
is a strange film, based on a strange premise - and, if you just can't
bring yourself to accept the bizarre fate of this poor child, then you
probably aren't going to get very much out of the film. If you can,
though, then you might find yourself genuinely surprised by how
entertaining Dororo actually is.

Buried beneath this layer of absurdity, we have what is, essentially,
a fairly straight-forward action/adventure film. As it happens, with
the death of each of these demons, the body part that was stolen from
the child will be magically restored - and so, twenty years after being
abandoned, the young man sets out on a quest to do just that. Armed with
a magic sword given to his by his adopted father, the young man leaves
his adopted home - determined to hunt down the demons freed by his
biological father, and reclaims what was stolen from him.

On his quest to slay the demons, though, the young man also
encounters a young thief who has her own reasons for wanting to get her
hands on his sword. The young woman (who insists that she is actually a
man, despite putting absolutely no effort into any sort of disguise)
refuses to give her own name - instead, stealing one of the names given
to our mysterious young hero, and calling herself 'Dororo'. Even
learning that the name basically means 'little monster', and was given
to the young man as an insult, isn't enough to dissuade her - and so,
she becomes 'Dororo' for the rest of the film. The young man, meanwhile,
seems content with the name 'Hyakkimaru' - which is also the name
engraved on the blade of his sword.

Dororo is quite honest about the fact that she is only interested in
getting her hands on the sword - but, she also feels some obvious
sympathy for Hyakkimaru. So, when the young man tells her that she is
free to take it once he is done with it, it seems that this is enough to
convince her to abandon any plans to steal the sword and, instead,
enter into a genuine partnership.

But, of course, there are inevitably going to be further
complications for the pair. As we soon learn, her reason for wanting the
sword is to get revenge on the one responsible for the death of her own
parents - who, of course, just so happens to be Kagamitsu Daigo.

Given the basic premise of this film, it would probably be fair to go
in expecting some impressive action sequences, featuring some creative
creature design. This is certainly something that the film attempts to
offer, at least - though, the results do tend to be a bit mixed. An
action-sequence featuring a impressive CGI spider-demon, which opens the
film, is very entertaining - with the great CGI work blending very well
with some well-staged choreography. But, some of those that come later
are not quite as successful. In some cases, this might be the result of
slightly shakier CGI work - while, in others, it could be the fault of
somewhat crude puppet-work. In other cases, it could come done to some
truly bizarre creature design, which just don't seem to translate very
well into live action. Whatever the reason, there are many moments,
during the course of the film, where it seems as though the film's
budget just didn't allow for the film's creative action sequences to be
properly brought to life - and, where it seems as though the film-makers
might have bit off a bit more than they could chew.

This is disappointing, sure - but, on the other hand, Dororo
is also a film that is well-served by some great performances from its
cast. Satoshi Tsumabuki, as Hyakkimaru, and Kou Shibasaki, as Dororo,
each do a fantastic job of selling some of the more blatantly unusual
aspects of the film's plot - and, the film is able to make good use of
their performances, as it manages to draw moments of genuine tension and
drama out of the whole idea. Kagamitsu Daigo may have some across as a
fairly one-dimensional villain, for the film's opening moments and its
final act - but, Kiichi Nikai still managed to do an impressive job of
making into a genuinely intimidating figure. On top of that, the simple
fact that Dororo was filmed in New Zealand (a country well
known for its ability to offer up some truly fantastic locations for
filming) proves to be another of the film's strengths.

In the end, Dororo was a film that I enjoyed much more than I
thought I would. Personally, I had no real issue with just accepting
the film's unusual premise - but, at the same time, I can understand
that the same might not be true for everyone. I suppose a simple test
would be to take a moment to consider your own response to the film's
premise, as I've outlined it above. If the film's premise has you
snickering, rolling your eyes, and making comments about 'Japanese
weirdness', then it might not be the film for you. If, on the other
hand, you found yourself genuinely intrigued about how any of this could
actually work, then you might find Dororo to be a genuinely entertaining, if somewhat flawed, film that is well worth your time.